Wendy's before the demolition. Dearborn Theatre is in the background.

The building that was once home of Wendy’s hamburgers at Michigan and Telegraph has been razed and is expected to be the future home of Sonic burgers.

The deal to land a Sonic at that intersection is about 90 percent complete, according to one city official.

. . . Wendy's after the demolition.

The long-closed Dearborn Theatre also is slated to be demolished. However, a date for the removal of that building isn’t yet know. As we have reported here once before, discussions have been ongoing about building a new Hampton Inn hotel on the site of the theatre complex.

The current Hampton Inn in Dearborn, just east of Brady on Michigan Avenue, will at some point have to operate under a different name as the hotel in its current design does not meet Hampton’s new corporate requirements.

In other development news, the government-run auction for the long-closed La Shish restaurant and adjoining Talal’s restaurant on Michigan Avenue was apparently held last week. No word yet on who submitted the winning bid but hopefully something soon will happen with that eyesore of a building.

And finally, the owners of Ciao, the restaurant on Monroe that was badly damaged in a fire nearly a year ago, tell us that they are close to inking a deal for a new building in a new location in west Dearborn. The popular Italian eatery could open in the second quarter of this year, if all goes as planned.

This is the story of 10 canine police officers, a high school basketball game, a concert and, perhaps, a lack of communication.

Let’s first start with the police dogs from the Dearborn Police Department and six other police agencies from the surrounding area.

For nearly 10 years, the police have used Dearborn High School for training exercises as way to keep the skills of police dogs sharp. This is a good thing.

Such was the case on Thursday, Feb. 25 when police and their K-9s arrived in the evening at Dearborn High School to do their usual training.

Trouble is few, if any, nearby residents, parents and students attending a basketball game and a concert at the high school that evening knew there was a training exercise going on.

Dearborn High School’s principal didn’t know at the time but was at the school and did talk to officers that evening. A school official told us the permit required to do the training in the school was likely approved months in advance and it simply wasn’t on the principal’s radar. The school district says it did not receive any phone calls from parents about the training after the fact so the concern about why police cars were at the high school that night apparently came from residents who live near the high school.

The City of Dearborn issued a press release the day after the training exercise with the following headline: “Police dog training exercise explained after drawing community attention.”  The press release also appeared in the Sunday edition of the Dearborn Press & Guide.

We fully support this type of training but in this day and age when airports, schools and cities operate with heightened security concerns, perhaps it might be a good idea to share with residents at least a day before, not after.

As for residents, if you ever do have questions after seeing police activity in Dearborn, please call 943-2201.

The field of candidates considering a run for the 15th District seat in the Michigan House of Representatives is expanding.

The Capitol building in Lansing.

We reported here earlier this week that Dearborn Councilman George Darany and Linda Tafelski, a retired Dearborn schoolteacher, were the only two who had officially declared their candidacy for the seat of state Rep. Gino Polidori, D-Dearborn, who cannot seek re-election because of term limits.

Well, the list of candidates officially running has grown and now includes the following on the Democratic ticket: Hope Buxton, a Dearborn business owner, and Alex Shami, a former Dearborn school board member.

It now appears that Dearborn Councilwoman Suzanne Sareini,who finished as the second top voter getter in the last election and now serves as council pro-tem, is being urged by Republican party leaders to run for the position. The same is true for Bill Runco, a Dearborn lawyer and former district court judge, who has had a bumpy political history in Dearborn.

Other Democrats considering running for the position include Mike Berry, a Dearborn business owner who previously ran for Dearborn City Council; Fay Beydoun, active in Dearborn politics who works for American Arab Chamber of Commerce and Stephen Dobkowski Jr., who previously ran for Dearborn City Council.

This should be an interesting August primary.

Award winning documentary filmmaker and Dearborn native Tom McPhee will share his latest film, An American Opera, with Dearborn High School students in the school’s auditorium on March 2.

Tom McPhee

McPhee, who grew up on Long Boulevard and attended Dearborn High School (DHS), has won numerous awards for his documentary work.  He also owns two production companies and is executive director of the World Animal Awareness Society.

 His latest work, An American Opera: The Greatest Pet Rescue Ever, tells the story of the vets, owners, officials, and rescuers who worked through the chaos during the days that followed hurricane Katrina to save and reunite thousands of pets with their owners. The work was not easy and there were others who had a different plan to deal with all the abandoned animals.

McPhee will begin his visit at 11:00 a.m. when he sits down for a special discussion with students in the Advanced Video class.  From there, he and the video class will join about 300 other students in the school’s auditorium for a private screening of the film. McPhee will follow up the movie with a question and answer period.

“This is going to be an exciting event that will provide our students with multiple opportunities for learning,” said Sousen Dobbs, a teacher at Dearborn High and event organizer.

On a snowy Monday when schools were closed and others struggled on slippery roads to get to work, Dearborn Councilman George Darany made the trek in his car to the Wayne County offices in Detroit. His mission? File the paperwork to officially become a candidate for the 15th District seat in the Michigan House of Representatives.

Dearborn Councilman Darany announces run for state House seat.

“I wasn’t going to let the weather hold me up,” Darany tells Deepsaidwhat.com. “This was the day I said I would do it and I am out doing it. I want people to know that I am serious about this seat. Anyone else thinking about it will be up against someone who will be very aggressive.”

And so begins the race for the seat of state Rep. Gino Polidori, D-Dearborn, who cannot seek re-election because of term limits.

So far, Darany and Linda Tafelski, a retired schoolteacher, are the only two people to file campaign paperwork for the $80,000 a year job. Like Darany, Tafelski, the mother of Dearborn City Council President Thomas Tafelski, will have name equity in this race.

The decision by Darany to run might seem strange to some as just last month he was sworn in to his first full-term as a City Council member. The reality, however, is this is a perfect time for him to seek the House seat.

Darany was the third highest vote getter in the last election, so he certainly would be carrying some momentum going into the Democratic primary election on Aug. 3. If he wins, he would then run against the Republican Party candidate in the Nov. 2 general election. The House seat is a two-year position and limited to three terms.

And if he doesn’t win, he still retains his seat on the Dearborn City Council.

“This is my time,” said Darany, 53, a lifelong Dearborn resident. “This is the best time for me to run for this seat because it is an open seat. The last three people that held that office held it for six years. I didn’t want to wait another six years for that opportunity to come up again.

“I am going to help Dearborn in one capacity or another. Either way, I can help. Certainly, in Lansing I can even do more.”

You can bet that David W. Bazzy will be cheering that Darany lands a seat in Lansing. Bazzy finished eighth in his first run for a Dearborn City Council seat, just 548 votes behind Councilwoman Nancy Hubbard who squeaked into the final and seventh council seat. If Darany leaves for Lansing, Bazzy would move onto council and serve out Darany’s term.

Tafelski tells the Dearborn Times Herald that she believes her educational background makes her a perfect fit for the job. She told the paper her primary campaign platform will be jobs through education.

“Because of the funding problems for our schools that were brought about by Lansing and my educational background, I felt it was a natural fit and, even bigger, I felt it necessary to do my part,” Tafelski told the Dearborn Times Herald.

Darany. Tafelski. So far we have two. Who else might throw their hat in? With less than six months to go until the primary, the clock is ticking.

The late John W. Tanner, a Dearborn resident for 45 years and a lawyer who worked in the city of Dearborn’s legal department, gave to our community in numerous ways. From his work serving on the board of directors of the Dearborn Goodfellows and Smoke on the Grill charity organization to Scouting and being active in Dearborn Lions football, Tanner was passionate about giving back to the city he called home.

Thanks to his daughter, Alison Anhut, his giving ways will continue.

John W. Tanner

She and her family are on the committee for The John Tanner Dearborn Youth Football Association (DYFA) Scholarship and are turning to friends, family and residents for support to expand the scholarship opportunity to all Dearborn high school students. Tanner, an Edsel Ford graduate, was one of the founding members of the DYFA. After his death at just 54 on Oct. 7, 2008, the DYFA awarded a scholarship to one DYFA athlete in his name.

The DYFA now wants to make the $1,000 scholarship an annual tradition and expand it to one graduating senior from each of Dearborn’s three high schools (Dearborn, Edsel Ford and Fordson) who have continued to play football throughout high school, completed two years of the DYFA program (in either football or cheerleading) and are pursuing a college education.

The idea to expand the scholarship to three was School Board member Hussein Berry’s (president of the DYFA board) and Jamal Al’s, who approached Tanner’s wife, Beverly, and asked if the Tanner family would like to be involved. Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., and Councilman Robert Abraham, among many others in our city, also are on the committee helping to raise funds to support the scholarship.

“My family and I are honored and are looking forward to carrying on my father’s name within this organization,” Anhut said. “My dad was one of the founding fathers of the DYFA and dedicated to its success. He was very passionate about charity work in general. My family and I cannot think of a better way to honor him and his vision than to continue working hard to serve and support the DYFA and our community.”

Here is where friends, family and residents can help.

To help raise funds for the scholarship, a dinner is going to be held on March 25th at 6 p.m. at Park Place in Dearborn. Tickets are $30 per person. There also will be a raffle at the dinner where a $5 ticket purchase could win you a first prize payout of $2,500, $1,500 for second and $1,000 for third. The plan is to sell just 3,000 tickets but if a minimum of 2,000 are not sold the raffle will revert to a 50/50. Monies raised also will be distributed to the DYFA to keep registration fees nominal and to continue to encourage youth participation.

In addition, plans are in place to hold a silent auction (donations for auction items are still being accepted) and there is the opportunity for those wanting to advertise in the March 25 dinner program, as well.

With everyone’s schedule pretty packed these days, attending an evening dinner may not be so easy to do. If that is the case, you can simply purchase a raffle ticket to help the cause or do both. All you have to do is contact Alison Anhut at azd18@yahoo.com or her mother, Beverly Tanner at tanner@ameritech.net

It’s all for a good cause and helps support the DYFA, an organization that continues to improve and help develop kids ages 8 to 13 with the ideas of teamwork, hard work and positive influence.

Here is one you can tell your friends about Monday morning. Perhaps the biggest Olympic upset in hockey since the Miracle on Ice was led by Dearborn native Brian Rafalski, who scored the first two American goals Sunday night to stun Canada, 5-3 and advance Team USA to the quarterfinals.

Rafalski, a Red Wings defenseman, also assisted on the fourth goal for Team USA. Ryan Kesler of Livonia closed out the America scoring with an empty-netter.

And of course, Ryan Miller of Michigan State University (Go State!) was the winning goalie.

Even better about this win is that it comes just one day short of the 30th anniversary of America’s greatest hockey victory, the win over the Soviet Union in Lake Placid.

(Below is a press release from Solstice Designs of Dearborn)

Dear Solstice Friends and Family,

You’re invited to our first ever jewelry making workshop, craft your own one-of-a-kind design!

Sherry will provide instruction on hand-stamping in sterling silver. You will take home your own completed silver pendant.

Who: Anyone interested in expressing themselves through fun hand-stamping. No experience necessary.

When: Thursday, February 25, from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Where: Dearborn Chamber of Commerce Conference room

22100 Michigan Ave. (lower level, Bryant Library building).

Dearborn, Mi. 48124

Cost: $45 per person, includes materials.

Limited seats, please RSVP an Email reply to this note or call (313) 724-9400 for reservations. Pre-payment by VISA/MC or check is appreciated.

Psst: Hot off the press, Project Mother’s Day fundraiser and celebration party date is set! Please save Wednesday, March 24th, 7pm-9pm for this special evening of Champagne and Chocolate at Dearborn Hills Golf Course (our favorite place for hosting any party). More details to come.

Check out some of the new Resin Collection pieces on the site, affordable everyday wear. http://www.etsy.com/shop/SolsticeD?section_id=6378456

The city of Dearborn has launched a new money-saving program aimed at helping  lower-income persons or families purchase a newly renovated Dearborn home, which was once foreclosed.

The Dearborn Department of Economic & Community Development is now accepting applications for this program, called First Time Homebuyer Assistance program, but they will only be available for a limited time.

The program, according to a city of Dearborn press release, offers many benefits, including the ability to subsidize the mortgage principal amount so that house payments will be affordable. And, the homeowner might also quality for $5,000 towards the down payment or the closing costs.

To be eligible, an interested person must be a first-time homebuyer, successfully complete an eight-hour HUD approved counseling program, be “mortgage ready,” and have annual household income that is at or below 120 percent of area median income. Other eligibility requirements will apply.

The new program is part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program, which was authorized to assist states and local governments in addressing the effects of abandoned or foreclosed properties.

The City of Dearborn would acquire and rehabilitate eight or more foreclosed properties with the intent of selling to income-qualified homebuyers.

For further information, call the Dearborn Economic & Community Development Department at 313-943-2180, extension 7. More details can also be found at www.cityofdearborn.org, on the Department of Economic and Community Development page.

The City of Dearborn’s official website now has a new look.

Gone is the clumsy 1990s looking website, replaced now with a site that looks and feels much more progressive.

Dearborn's new website is easier to navigate.

We haven’t run through all of the new features but it is much more intuitive and easier to navigate.

As a way to reduce costs, Dearborn’s IT Department and communications team reached out to the webmaster from the Dearborn Public Schools to help them redesign the new site.

This first collaboration between the city and our schools could lead to other actions where the two sides pool resources to save tax dollars.

Other cost-saving ideas under discussion  include looking at whether combining snow removal, grass cutting and even having a joint newsletter for residents might be more beneficial than the city and school continuing to do each of these separately.

Whether or not any of this is even practical or if it will save money still has to be determined. But the fact the two are  talking is good sign for all taxpayers.